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Agriculture & Fisheries

West African agriculture has risen to the challenge of population growth: After two decades of stagnation, agriculture took off in the middle of the 1980s. In 30 years, agricultural production has increased at a much faster rate than the population and the supply of locally-produced food increased from 1 700 to 2 400 kilocalories per person per day (Kcal/person/day). In most West African countries, dependence on food imports has not increased. Read on

Undernourishment has decreased: The West Africa region leads the continent in progress toward reducing the number of people suffering from hunger and malnutrition. Despite rapid population growth across the region and recurrent droughts in the Sahel, West Africa has reduced the prevalence of undernourishment by 60% over the last two decades, from 24.2% in 1990-92 to 9.6% in 2014-16. Read on

35 million people are still undernourished: Despite a significant decrease in undernourishment, many West Africans have been left behind. 10% of the population – around 35 million people – still suffer from chronic undernourishment or malnutrition. Among those particularly touched are the households of farmers excluded from the market, agro-pastoralists or pastoralists over-dependent on livestock and threatened by repeated droughts, and poor workers in the informal economy. Read on

The city is the engine of the food economy: Rural populations tend to concentrate in areas near cities. The growth of cities therefore stimulates the integration of rural and urban areas, and the vector of integration is trade. Markets provide at least two-thirds of household food consumption in West Africa. Read on

The food economy: a primary source of employment: Agriculture represents only 60% of the food economy. The economic activities that take place upstream (input supply, seeds) and downstream (processing, trade) account for 40%. The food industry is growing faster than agricultural production. It consists of numerous and increasingly complex value chains. Read on

Food security in cities: Urban food insecurity is a real problem, the scale of which is likely to increase as urban populations expand. The problem is poorly documented, however, and its unique characteristics should be better taken into account in food and nutrition monitoring systems. Read on

In an op-ed in Jeune Afrique, NEPAD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Assane Mayaki delivered his vision of Africa’s COP22 priorities. According to his analysis, climate change adaptation is the number one priority for Africa. Read on

The October 2016 analysis of the Cadre harmonisé expanded its coverage to include, for the first time, 16 out of 36 Nigerian states, almost half of the country. In these states, some 8 million people are currently facing acute food insecurity (phases 3-5, October-December 2016). Read on

The COP22 climate change summit, which was hosted on the African continent, was supposed to be the “COP of Action,” by translating the Paris Agreement into practice and by focusing on African priorities. African concerns were placed at the heart of the conference’s debates, but in terms of concrete outcomes, COP22 did not live up to its promise to advance African issues. Read on

According to the findings of the Cadre harmonisé analysis of August 2016, some 4.4 million people in northeastern Nigeria were facing acute food insecurity (phases 3-5) requiring urgent humanitarian assistance. In the worst affected and less accessible pockets of Borno state, nearly 60 000 people face the threat of famine (phase 5). Read on